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GAO-25-107040 1 (April 28, 2025)

handle is hein.gao/artcsenad0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Why This Matters Key Takeaways Many workers look to develop skills while maintaining self-sufficiency and meaningful employment. Some workers accomplish this through earn-and-learn opportunities, which provide practical experience that can help them gain needed skills to progress in their careers. For example, Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAP) are structured earn-and-learn opportunities that combine a mix of on-the-job training, mentorship, and classroom-based instruction as part of employment. RAPs can benefit employers in filling gaps for workers in a wide range of industries, such as construction, shipbuilding, aviation mechanics, and healthcare. We were asked to examine how specific federal programs support earn-and-learn opportunities such as apprenticeship, how these federal programs coordinate and target industries with projected growth, and the benefits and challenges associated with apprenticeship and other earn-and-learn opportunities. This report focuses on earn-and-learn opportunities that generally include paid on-the-job occupational training and are intended to lead to career advancement, such as higher wages, a certification, or a more senior position. Earn-and-learn opportunities may also be referred to by terms such as work-based learning, career-connected learning, apprenticeship, internship, or work and learn. Several federal agencies, including the Department of Labor (DOL), administer programs that can support earn-and-learn opportunities. This report describes how these programs help jobseekers find employment in high-growth and high-wage occupations. We identified at least 26 programs at five federal agencies-the Departments of Commerce, Defense (DOD), Education, Labor (DOL), and Veterans Affairs (VA)-that could include support for earn-and-learn opportunities, even if that support is not their primary purpose. Many of these programs target services to certain populations, such as veterans, youth, or individuals with disabilities. We found that RAP participants were generally in high-growth and high-wage occupations. Specifically, of the 10 most common RAP occupations in fiscal year 2024, six were projected to grow faster than the average occupation by 2033, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. In addition, BLS data show that nine of these occupations paid above the median wage. Earn-and-learn opportunities may lead to benefits for participants and employers. DOL and BLS report that as of 2023, RAP completers earned average annual wages upon completion of their program higher than those of associate's degree holders. In addition, studies we reviewed report that employers may receive a positive return on investment from RAPs. Barriers to expansion of earn-and-learn opportunities, including RAPs, include limited awareness of these options among jobseekers and employers, as well as concerns among employers about administrative Page 1 GAO-25-107040 Apprenticeship Page 1 GAO-25-107040 Apprenticeship